So, if what's good for Cisco Systems Inc. is now good for the country, why isn't it good for the San Francisco Giants? San Jose's data networking goliath, which replaced General Motors Corp. on the Dow Jones industrial average, suffered a rare defeat when it lost out on a bid to install a $1 million Internet phone system at AT&T Park. Instead, a comparative pipsqueak of a company, ShoreTel Inc. of Sunnyvale, got the job. A key selling point for Giants Chief Information Officer Bill Schlough, apart from what he said was ShoreTel's switch-based architecture: "We won't be a small fish in a big pond."

The Giants' system, rolled out last month, was another notch in the 11-year-old company's belt. It has installed similar systems for the Verizon Center, home of the Washington Wizards, and other sports venues, including the Buffalo Sabres' HSBC Arenaand Infineon Raceway. Non-sports customers include Robert Half International Inc., the city of Oakland and Cnet Inc. ShoreTel also recently installed its first system in China. While revenue growth has slowed along with the economy, the company has $100 million in the bank and no debt, said Chief Financial Officer Mike Healy. Plus, its share of the $18 billion Voice Over Internet Protocol market is growing.

"We can't overtake Cisco, but we're aiming to be No. 2," said Healy, pointing out that one of its bigger competitors, Canada's Nortel Networks, is bankrupt. In the meantime, he added, "We love to do demos against Cisco."

Entering the club: That likely won't stop Cisco celebrating when it's officially ushered into the stock market equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court next Monday. Cisco becomes the fourth Bay Area member, joining Chevron Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Intel Corp. in Dow Jones' 30-member blue chip assemblage. On the careful-what-you-wish-for-front, a Barrons.com blogger points out that the stock prices of Intel and Microsoft Corp. have fallen by approximately 75 percent since they joined the DJIA in 1999.

Not celebrating: If you happen to be going by Cisco's headquarters today, you may see a bunch of folks on a hunger strike. They're supporting laid-off Cisco janitors, whose union, SEIU Local 1877, has been waging a battle with the company to reinstate them. The campaign has grown since the janitors - 75 says the union, 70 says Cisco - were laid off last November by a Cisco contractor, ABM Industries Inc.

Cisco has not commented on the issue, except to say that it is not responsible for the employment decisions of its contractors, but that it "respects and supports the rights of our vendors' employees to fair treatment and their right to voice their concerns." The janitors' supporters say the company can and should do better than that, given the fact that it has $34 billion in the bank. More on the campaign at www.justiceatcisco.com.

Red wine headache: "We regret to inform you that New Vine is in a state of financial crisis and has been forced to close its doors." The out-of-the-blue announcement tacked on the door of New Vine Logistics last Saturday did not sit happily with the 200-odd California wineries that depended on the Napa fulfillment company to help sell and ship its wares to customers, especially those out of state.

Wine Industry Insight, an online newsletter, said the sudden shutdown was prompted by "impatient investors" - including Menlo Park's Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers - who "pulled the plug following the company's mounting losses." That leaves big wineries like Beringer and Cline Cellars in the lurch, and smaller ones like Paul Hobbs Wineryand Hanzell Vineyards potentially gasping for life, says the trade publication. Initially New Vine ( www.newvinelogistics.com) offered no explanation. Even its banker, Silicon Valley Bank, was in the dark. "We found out about the company's decision (Monday) and we've been doing everything possible to find a soft- landing solution," said the bank's Rob McMillan.

Company executives issued a statement on Tuesday saying they are "currently working with customers to transfer all services to another means of legal direct shipping ... and performing all of the necessary business operations for the months of May and June." More details at www.wine industryinsight.com.